Piano Falco

"Piano Falco" ("Falcon Plan") was a planned Axis invasion of Switzerland that was to be carried out by the Royal Italian Army in October-November 1939 at the start of World War II. The plan was devised by the Italian duce Benito Mussolini, who sought to annex Switerzland during his crusade to re-establish the Roman Empire. It would have involved around 40,000 Italian troops, drawn from the military districts of northern Italy (although some armies were kept on the border with France to prevent a French invasion). The invasion would strike at the southern Swiss cantons on the Italian border, and France would be powerless to respond due to already being engaged in a "phony war" with Nazi Germany on the frontier. Mussolini believed that Adolf Hitler would send troops to assist the Italians if they required help against the Swiss army, but his generals did not believe that the plan was worth the risk. Many, including senior army figures Ugo Cavallero and Rodolfo Graziani, believed that the Italian army was not yet ready to embark on an invasion of a European nation due to the political and military risks. In the end, Piano Falco was not executed, as Mussolini eventually gave up on the ambitious plan.